"He had a different way of looking at the land, the trouble at hand or any circumstance that might just come along .... and he measured his life in cedar posts and miles of barbed wire fence”.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Lincoln Harris Dilworth Project Goes Down In Flames

Does the stunning defeat of a re-zoning request signal a change in direction for Charlotte City Council? Could be......

From the Charlotte Observer:

A controversial rezoning request to build a Walgreens drug store and office building in Dilworth was rejected by Charlotte City Council Monday night, delighting neighbors who had waged an aggressive campaign of e-mails and yard signs against the project.Developer Lincoln Harris’s rezoning lost 9-3, with only Warren Cooksey, Andy Dulin and David Howard supporting it.

The developer wanted to build a Walgreens and a two-story office building on two acres at East Morehead Street and Kenilworth Avenue. To move forward, Lincoln Harris would have to demolish several buildings, some of which were built at the turn of the century.

Lincoln Harris appeared to make a last-minute attempt to sway council members.

In an e-mail sent to council member Patsy Kinsey, who represents the area, a Lincoln Harris executive said the developer has an alternative plan for site that would contain “none of the softened commercial edges” in its Walgreens plan.

“I have come to the conclusion, based upon a number of discussions, these …neighbors were told by a core group of opponents that if the Lincoln Harris petition were to be denied , we will simply ‘go away’ and the property will remain the same,” wrote Alex Kelly, Lincoln Harris vice president. “This email is to confirm that this statement is completely false.”

The e-mail then suggested a backup development plan would have more impact on neighbors, and that it would be in Dilworth’s best interests to approve the original rezoning request.“This is a serious decision....which could have a detrimental effect on other’s property values,” Kelly wrote.The e-mail said that the alternative development plan would have “no development concessions offered to the neighborhood. All of the negotiated concessions will go away.”

Cedar's Take: Cooksey and Dulin always side with the developers, large and small. But without fellow Republican Edwin Peacock who often played both sides it was a dead horse way before the vote.

Cedar Posts has been asked why people feel Cooksey and Dulin are in developers pockets and what did Lincoln Harris VP Alex Kelly do wrong?

By illustration, take the CHA project in Ballentyne where Cooksey "washed his hands" by saying there was nothing he could do to oppose the low income project. In the end the shady deal was exposed, a massive fraud complete with developer kick backs, and was scraped.

As far as Alex Kelly, he is a total ass clown, and poster child for how not to deal with neighborhoods.By contrast look at they way Autobell courted the folks in Southpark. That car wash may be the most over landscaped operation in the country but it began turning a profit on day one. The demand was so great they didn't even have a grand opening, they just opened the doors. Why? Because Chuck Howard went out of his way to work with his neighbors. Alex Kelly's Vaseline or baseball bat method just didn't work.

So why did council members vote down the request?

Perhaps they have noted that much of the re-zoning completed in the past to accommodate developers like Lincoln Harris has left East Charlotte in a shambles. Charlotte's urban blight in East Charlotte and along the Independence and University corridors can be traced back to re-zoning votes approved at the request of developers like Lincoln Harris and not through well planned urban development.

3 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Give me a break do you think any politician in Charlotte/Mecklenburg is looking out for consumers? Like raising real estate taxes 8% to build a train to nowhere. Look what they've done in the past. It's only about ego and kick backs.

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Cedar Posts and Barbed Wire Fences

He had a different way of looking at the land,the trouble at handor any circumstancethat might just come along.

And while much in the world has changedthe pull of the mountainsand the rangefor him has always been strong.

His back to the windhe placed the last postand at lastthe day's work was done.

As the seasons changed,the work got harderbut he still rosewith the sun.

The posts became heavy,bails of wire he’d need some helpbut he just pushedhimself more.

His back now achedand his legs tired quicklyeven his bedmade him sore.

Over the yearshe’s always done his bestright up to the present tense,and he measured his life in cedar postsand miles of barbed wire fence.